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US Session 8
This should not be taken as me contiouing to bitch at you. It is a sumary of the issues covered in this weeks game and outside of it. Both in character and out. =Player and Character Expectations= This is going to be something of a long rant but I want to be clear on the matter of my expectations of both players and characters along with what you can expect from me as a GM and from my stories. That way neither of us is wasting our time. It is compiled from my usual code of player conduct and will be permenantly posted to the wikia homepage. If you are not intrested in what is being provide or able to provide what is expected it would better for everyone involved if you found another source of entertainment that will better suit your needs. I have a wife, 4 kids, attend college and will be starting a new job at the end of the month and do not wish to waste my (or anyone elses) time, energy, peace of mind or enjoyment. I have been running games for going on 17 years now and certain problems and issues come up regularly, and this breaks down how they will be handled in my games. Conflict is an inevidable aspect of group activity, be it a game, a sport, or a workteam and must be managed effectivly for the group to succeed. Character Issue Resolutions #Discuss the problem with GM, player or group. Specifically if you would like to see a given elment be a part of the current story talk with me and we can likely make it work in one form or another. #Alter the way the character is role-played and or develops. Can apply to both stats and role-playing. #Volentary retirement. If you absolutly do not feel as if you can make the character work and "be true to your character concept". You may voleentarilly retire your character and make a new one. The new character will start one level lower than the other PC's to encourage good sports manship, reward collaborative players(those who are activetly part of the group.), and discourage a revolving door of new characters being forced into the current plot. #Invollentary retirement. This can happen for a number of reasons. ##Your character moves beyond the scope of the current story. If the group is going to Nexus and you decide that Bob is going to board a boat to the Blessed Isle to find himself. Thats fine. The character leaves the story and PERMENENTLY becomes an NPC. ##The current campagin ends. All characters will be retired into NPC's if they are not to be the focus of the next set of story archs. ##Character passes above the power ceiling of the current game. i.e you reach max level or whatever. ##Player choices make the character unplayable, either ingame actions or stat choices. If you decided to say go on a public murder spree or attack the king and become a fugitive AND this is not the focus or dirction of the story the character will be retired. ##Unable to correct any issue or in game behavior does not alter to meet an agreed change. The character will be removed from the story and you will start over from first level. This will normally (particularly in the current story setting) take the form of a bullet in the back of the head. Player Issues. #Discussion or verbal warning. If I ask you to stop doing or saying something because it is offensive or disruptive I expect you to stop. This is normally a public warning and involves a direct, open and clear discussion of the issues. If you would find it embarrashing for others to directly discuss your actions. You probably should not be taking them. #Direct call for change. You will be asked to not do X and/or do Y. #Expelled from the group. You will be asked to leave the group and not return. I reserve the right to go directly to option three should it be required. Specifically if another player directly asks you to stop or not do something as it offends them and you mock, belittle or disreguard them you will be immediately asked to leave. Threating another player, the GM, or engaging in any type of violent behavior will immediatly get you booted. (In face to face games this will be literal should it be required.) =What it is= We are playing a group role-playing game directed by a GM in a consistant story based in a GM created world with player input. This is a more realistic, grim and gritty world of lower power, realistic characters, who are to be resonably self sufficent. The current story is a para-military based one, dealing with a group of skilled operative able to conduct both green and black ops. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Marine_Corps_Force_Reconnaissance) Character's should have a wide arrange of basic skill proficencies, be self and group supportive. Each character should have a major and one or more minor role in the group to provide a need skill set. Minor roles are redudant areas in which a character can provide a skill set at lesser proficency than a charactre possessing that skill set as a major role. This is to cover for character lose, lack of access and to provide versitility. (More on this below.) =What its not= Free-form theater, solo character driven role-playing, free-form roleplaying, short fiction, lit-erotic, amature theater, a forum for racisim, sexism, fanatisim, nationalism or any other form of personal therapy. You are expected to show curtisy and consideration to the other players and the GM and display good sportsmanship at all times. (In both victory and defeat.) I can and will ask you to modify your character's stats, personality, backstory or objectives to follow these expectations. If you wish to freely develop your character while wandering aimlessly, while exponding on the details of your highly improbable and tragic background, or you are simply interested in a series of storyless random encournters please a). Find another GM who is into that. b). take up a forum based game where you can write character prose to your hearts content. c. Play a video game. d. Take up live action gaming or amature theater. e. take up writting. f. do anything that does not requie any one else to invest time and energy that will be wasted on theatric auto-erotisim. Breaking it down Group activity. This is number one and takes priority over pretty much everything else. Multiple individuals are putting aside there time and effort to get together and have fun playing a game. This applies to both player's and characters. Both are expected to be able to fucntion as an effective part of a group and add more than they take. This includes but is not limited too. Do not create a characters that is unable to fuction in the setting, current story, or with previously or currently existing characters. In stories in which inner party conflict is to play a role and such innate conflicts will be discussed and defined prior to play and require all players to consent to that type of game. Other wise both you and your character are expected to play well with others. (The current story is not one of those games.) Do not create one of these types of hibitual problem characters. #Inner-party theif or killer. This is not a PVP game and everyone is out to have a good time. Inner-party theif,killing and conflict can cause a lot of problems and make for a shit time had by all. Just like free speech, your right to play your character how you want stops at the point at which it negatively effects others. #Berserker, thoughtless ragers, suicidally stupid, hopelessly niave, Unable to fuction as part of a team, fully selfish, unwilling to help others at all, backstabber. Basically good charaterization takes a back set to being a good player. If you can not handle portraying one of these types of characters while still being a good player. DONT. All characters regardless of backstory can be portrayed in multiple ways and grow in multiple directions. Play yours in a fashion that reflects a. heroic choices (heroic and stupid are not the same.) b. allow you to be a good player. #I tend to run an R rated game. (As far as I am aware all players are of adult age as defined in the USA i.e. 18 or older.) There will be sex, violence, swearing, mature themes (abuse, drug uses, the effects of any of the above isms, etc.)THAT HAVEING BEEN SAID, THE CONFORT OF THE MY SELF AND THE PLAYERS IS THE BOUNDRY. IF YOU ARE OFFENDED OR OFFPUT BY THE CURRENT ACITON PLEASE SAY SO AND IT WILL BE TONED DOWN. There will not be explicit sexual conduct, the specifics will be skipped over, no cyber sex or sexual harrasment. #Overspecilization, power gaming, rules explotation, and other such. One of the purposes of rules is to provide a level playing field. If you are vastly overpowered in one area, but underdeveloped in all others, expect to get screwed in the others. You are expected to have a resonable chace at succeeding at moderately difficult actions in a variety of fields with a couple of tries. NOTE:You dont have to be able to hit a 180 and above based solely on your skill bonus. But you should beable to pass a moderate check (80) about half the time. In anima this generally means you should spend enough DP to purchase the minimum 5 points in a range of skills. (this gives you a +35 bonus compared to a completly unskilled attempt.) You do not have to have be able to get an inhuman difficulty in your area of skill everytime either. (make use of fatiuge, skill bonuses, good planing, stunts and other bonuses to be sure of success when you really need it.) The current setting is a group of skilled operatives and all characters should be able to function as part of such a group and have basic survival skills. #General power level. The current story is one of restrictied power. The characters are struggling aginst greater powers, hidden groups and military organizations. They are heoric in choosing to struggle to make a difference when others would give up or turn away from what they believe in. I am going to start a nerf list and list it on the homepage that consolidates all of the resttictions on PC's. But so that it's clear. PC's are not intended to gain earth shattereing power that affects broad swaths of the game world. They are under restrictions intendted to keep them below that power level. And given that I am still learning this system I missed a few things. #Story directed. I have a limited amount of time to create and run a game. I am aware that some of you play in mulitiple games, I dont have that option. So when I do get a chance to game I like things to move along both in combat and in terms of the story. I generally spend quite a bit of time and effort working on my games, so as to provide something more than a series of random rolls on a monster chart. I do expect that you will generally go with the follow and will not say bust out with "does anyone hae any personal life goals" in the middle of a team briefing, pick fights with powerful NPC's for no reason other than you have issues with your boss, or other wise be disruptive and a massive pain in the ass to me or others. Combat particularly needs to flow smoothly. I know that in many groups it can take 10-15 mintues to resolve a full round of combat for 5 players. Mine is not one of them. Particullarly as I finish coding the macros for the Anima frame it will not take more than a minute or two for your turn to come up again. You are expected to pay attention and be ready to go. You have been provide a number of heads up macros to let us know what you are going to be doing. Please use them. =Game forum on Mythweavers= I have opened a game forum on Mythweavers for character interaction, side quests, down time acticvties and any discussions or questions you might have regarding the setting. Please observe the guideline above. I reserve the right to veto or change anything you perpose to the forum with out limitation or restriciton. (Your public service warning.) As a general guide line, before you send your character off to engage in any activity that you as a person would really think twice about, check with the GM, particularly if its the kind of thing that is likely to get you arreseted or shot. The game name is Among Titans and its under the homebrewed system heading. =Ryan= Martial character's have three creation restriction. 1. Can not start with any uncommon weapons or armor. A weapon based on an uncommon weapon violates the spirirt of this restriction. It was minor and I did not catch it at first and let it slide. 2. Advanced Martail arts are unavalible to starting character. This one you followed. 3. "Ki Abilities & Dominion Techniques are learned as parts of specific Supernatural Marital Arts or other specilized training, and must be purchased as part of such sets. That having been said, I am willing to work with player's to create customized styles." This has caused the most problems. This was brought up when you first created rindou and I asked you to write up her style and the powers you would be taking for approval. This has not been done. ANY AND ALL KI POWERS ARE SUBJECT TO THIS RESTRICTION. THE LOWEST LEVELS OF SUPERNATURAL MARTAIL ARTS ARE THE ONLY ONES ACCESSEIBLE TO PC. One out of three is not very good and my willingness to accomidate has been stretched by the complianing about your restrictions and short comings. Ryan has apologized for his behavior during the last game he attended as he was having a particularly bad day. I mention this here not to berate him, rather to let everyone who was affected know that it was a temporary problem that has been addressed. (The complaining about the restrictions has not how ever been a restircted event.) =Phoniex= As I pointed out in the revision of your backstory, Creation is not the kind of place that allows for a completly sheltered child of 14. And you then spent the next two years beign trained by Singer and his organization (Your idea not mine). Creation also does not currently nor has it ever had a christian faith or any thing like it which has served to restrict and obscure the act of sexual congress. The idea that a child raised for the last two years by soldiers not knowing anything about sex is absured and is taking the whole thing way to far. If you wish to play a younger character that is fine but dont over do it. Other wise thank you for your active and timely part in the game. As far as character growth is concerned you really kind of screwed your self by making a min/maxer with a thin backstory. You have access to only one psychic school and a large number of glaring weakness. Specifically you took the easily possessed and weakness to pain flaws to gain assess to the abilty to do one trick really well some times. (Higher success level with no fatigue.) This leaves you open to many other threats. BTW how does a massive intimidation score make any sense for the character? Your sheltered, have a strength of 3, are afraid of pain, have no physical skills to speak of, have never encountered any of the bad aspects of life, but others are suppost to be afraid of you? =Courage= Matt/Courage kind of got voleentered for the role of group caller/leader as he was the first player for the game. Matt has indicated that he would rather not fill this role and it has passed from Courage to Kouya. Matt seems to be somewhat of a more reserved player and content with a particpatory role, and thats just fine. Courage as a character has decided to pickup a shield and some heavier armor and is going to fill the major role of heavy infantry. (i.e. Meat Shield.) Weaponsmasters are heavly dependant on their equipment to be an affective part of the group. They dont get cool powers, spells, psychic abilties, or a bunch of skill bonuses. The special armor and a magic sword set with scaling powers was intended for Courages useage. As he did not have or express interest in gaining a shield, I erronorously assumed he intended to be a duel wield charater. Hence the twin katana's with a martial spirit who requires a wielder with a high default combat ability. (This is why Kit-Shiba did not wish to be with Rindou. Courage declined the swords offer and Rindou was unwilling to give them up. This was fine, which is why the sword does occassionally assist Rindou while still giving her a hard time. Not to mention that fact that the weapons where crafted as family heir looms by a race of beings obssessed with personal military ability, and less with magical powers.) Courages supporting roles are tactition and scouting. Courage will be picking up War, Survival, Stealth, Trap Lore. GM suggestion: More wear armor would be cheap and provide increased abilty to abosrbe damage by wearing wither heavier or additional armor. Climb and Athletics might not be a bad idea either. Forum Question:How does Courage view people who are not of his tribe? What is his position on slaving? =Dax= Dax did little and added little to the last session. (Adam was not there) beyond a little tactical advice. Of all the PC's dax has the widest skill spread and a good mix of abilties for his chossen role of healer/mage. NOTE: Dax takes a good amount of time to recover his zeon and only heals a limited amount of the DAMAGE INFLICTED ON A CHARACTER at once. He pays a default of 50 zeon to heal 30% of the damage you have taken, not your max hit points. He is an emergency healer and offensive caster with the ability to interact with nature. He can and will provide medical treatment outside of combat, weapons and armor maintiance, create herbal remidies and a number of other useful things. He has at least a minimum to buy off the penalty in basic skills. Forum Question:Why did Dax decide to try and pull his life together? If he where content to remain a drunken failure he would not be in the story. So what started to turn him arond and what is he looking for? (if you want him to give up on himself that is fine but this will take him outside of the games scope.) =Kouya= Kouya is a vigina dentata and has a serious problem relating to others. How she deals with this will determine what happens to the character. Yes, she has been bitchy, snooty and rash. Renzel showed signs last session of Kouya begining to move beyond this inital stange and integrate more with the other members of the group. Please note that Renzel the player has never shown an unwillingness to assist the other players or go with the flow. Kouya is picking up several skills that she is lacking as she realizes that her noble upbringing did not infact prepare her for every aspect of a hard life. She is also gaining a limited ability to spawn minions, that is suitably Kouya like. These minions are not underhere complete control and she is rather stuck with them unless she kills them every month. =Rindou= Rindou has decided not to take Ki Healing as it goes against her nature to do anything for anyone else.(parapharsing ryan) As to Ki powers developed she has also decided not to develop any self supportive low power abilties and is instead focusing on offensive abilites that add states. Ryan has not set me a copy of his preposed Ki Abilites at this point in time, but they will be subject to the limitation mentioned above and will be in keeping with the general power level of the other characters. MK is the only aspect of character power that does not have a limitation on it from the core books. I did not do so as they where suppost to be approved in advance. Category:UE